Never the Same
by KrystalBlueEyes
Summary: Bella had always been a typical teenager, but when she and her friends go camping everything changes. She decides to go to Forks to flee her fears, but will she really manage to get away or is she just delving deeper into the world of the supernatural? BellaxAlice
1. The Beginning

**A/N: Well, I didn't plan on doing this, but here it is anyway. The pairing will be Bella and Alice so if you don't prefer that, feel free to hit the back button. I can't guarantee frequent updates because I have a tendency to be fickle with my writing urges, but I will try.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Twilight character nor the original plot. The only thing I might own is some OC's that I throw in for my own amusement.**

Never the Same

Isabella Marie Swan had lived a relatively uneventful life. Her parents were divorced then again, that seemed to be a popular trend. Isabella, or Bella as she preferred to be called, had taken residence with her mother in Arizona while her father remained in the forever rainy town of Forks, Washington. Bella had typical friends and typical grades. Perhaps the only thing about her that was above average was her lack of coordination. That was an area she succeeded in. She had long since perfected the feat of tripping over flat surfaces. Although, her luck was nearly as bad as her coordination. Bella was nearly sure that she had committed some heinous act in a past life to get the luck she had, but she could never be sure.

It had been a mix of her bad luck and uncoordination that both saved her and damned her.

Her friends had organized a camping trip for spring break and Bella hadn't been able to turn her friends down even though she loathed the activity. They had decided on going to the Horseshoe Reservoir campgrounds Friday night and staying a week. Her friends Anthony and Sarah both had jet skis that they brought and everyone had been excited to spend the week goofing off and ignoring everything related to school. After all of the planning, Bella had been excited despite herself.

It was the first night they were there that the incident happened. Everyone had just returned from the lake after jet skiing and swimming for a large portion of the day and changed clothes before deciding to make a fire. They had been sitting around the campfire, the only source of light aside from a waning crescent moon. The night was cool, airy and cloudless. Her friends had been laughing while roasting marshmallows and drinking beer and wine coolers.

"Come on Bella, have a drink." Anthony had whined, using his puppy dog face at full force and holding out a wine cooler.

"Come on Tony, you know I'm uncoordinated when completely sober, if I drank that thing I'd probably fall into the fire pit."

"Yeah Tony, Bella's hot enough without third degree burns." Sarah jested while shooting a wink towards Bella.

With a roll of her eyes, Bella stood up from the group. "I'm gonna go grab a water seeing as you guys probably only brought alcohol out here." The sheepish looks she got in return told her that she was correct. "So I'm gonna take my hot uncoordinated self back to the tents and get a non-alcoholic beverage." She sent a grin to Sarah before walking away.

The terrain was a bit uneven and Bella probably would have had trouble with it during broad daylight. The shadows that were cast across it made it even more treacherous.

_Geez, maybe I should have just taken that wine cooler_, Bella sighed. She was nearly to the campsite when her foot got caught on a root and she spiraled to the ground hearing a protestant pop from her ankle.

"_Damn_!" She hissed, holding her ankle. She stood, trying to see if her ankle could hold up her weight only to crash back to the ground. "Great."

A series of screams broke her attention away from her injury and back towards the campfire. She could barely make it out, but she saw seven figures instead of the four that she had left at the fire. Between the lighting and distance she couldn't make out much, but it looked like the other people there were… Biting them? At this Bella panicked even more_. What the hell? Normal people don't bite people… Are they on bath salts or something?_ Bella could only barely bite down her screams of terror. She knew she couldn't help her friends. They were too far and it would take time to get over to them even if her ankle was in working condition.

She glared over at the fire and, with determination sinking in; she crawled her way to the tent. She knew that Anthony always brought a combat knife with him whenever he went camping of hiking and it had always helped him out.

The screams were slowly dying as she crawled her way into the tent and found his bag. Her hands were trembling as she tore through the contents. It was eerily silent now, even the normal sounds of night stopped. If it weren't for the sound of her blood in her ears and the noise of her riffling through the bag, Bella would have thought she had gone deaf. Bella could almost make out the sound of people talking, low chimes that didn't sound like normal humans. Her hands finally found the knife's case. She handled it clumsily, unsheathing it quickly and holding onto the blade for dear life.

"This one's mine James, you and Laurent hogged most of the others." A female voice stated. Oh god, they know I'm here, Bella panicked as her trembling became more pronounced.

"But this one smells exquisite, are you sure you won't share Victoria?" A voice with a slight French accent negotiated.

"No, you and James already got your fair share, this one's all mine. Besides, I want to have some fun with this one and we all know I have the best control."

_They're talking about me like they would a slice of cake_, Bella thought to herself, her grip tightening on the blade till her knuckles shown white. The talking outside the tent stopped and Bella held her breathe. In less than a blink of an eye, a blur of red and white was in the tent and Bella thrust the blade towards the figure. The figure didn't budge. It was like trying to stab a knife through a brick wall. The blade stopped before even breaking skin and Bella's momentum sent her hands sliding from the handle and onto the blade leaving bloody lines across her hands. Bella dropped the knife and stumbled back only for the woman's hands to stop her. They locked her wrists in a vice-like grip as the woman gave Bella a predatory grin, her crimson eyes glowing in the night and shining with malice.

Bella was frozen in fear, the burning in her chest was the only thing that reminded her to breathe and she did so shakily. Then again, she was about to die, so breathing wasn't very high on her to-do list for the moment. The woman with eyes as crimson as her hair just continued to smile like the cat who caught the canary. She brought Bella's right hand towards her face and inhaled deeply. When she reopened her eyes they were nearly black.

"You smell delicious." The woman spoke, her voice low and smooth. The way she spoke was almost as a lover would, but this woman did not love or even lust for Bella. No, she just wanted the blood that ran through her. The woman who Bella assumed was Victoria brought her face closer to Bella's hand and slowly ran her tongue over the cut. Bella shuddered at the act both from the coldness of Victoria's tongue and disgust at the idea of consuming blood. The coppery smell had always made Bella nauseous and, if she wasn't consumed by the idea of her nearing death, she would have been relieved about her lack of focus on the smell.

"Victoria, if you're not going to share, than at least give us a show." Another voice whined from outside the tent. Victoria's grin faltered for a moment.

"Very well." She huffed before moving her hand from Bella's left wrist to her upper arm and throwing her out of the tent. The fact that a woman who, while a bit taller than her and nicely toned, had managed to toss her as if I were a stone she were skipping into a lake made Bella's mind pause before she collided with the ground and rolled. Her shoulder hit a large rock causing her to jar to a stop. She was face down in the dirt, her face contorted into a pained grimace.

A cruel laugh made her look up. In front of the tent that was now several meters away stood three people. Or, at least, they looked like people. Not normal people though. Their skin held a certain luminescent quality in the dim moonlight and their eyes were all an eerie shade of red. In a flash, Victoria broke from the group and appeared kneeling next to her.

"It's a pity, I wasn't going to take very long with you, but it seems my mate wants a show." She looked at Bella with a look of fake concern as she stroked the teenager's cheek. "Too bad for you I guess."

Bella blinked as she felt a spike of pain before she was looking to the night sky. It took a moment for her brain to register that Victoria had flipped her over. It took even longer for her to realize that Victoria had moved and was now straddling her hips.

"I wish I could say that you'll enjoy this as much as I do, but that won't happen." She whispered into Bella's ear as she leaned over her.

Without warning, Victoria moved her hand away from Bella's face and to her left hand. With barely any effort on her part, Victoria slowly crushed the human's hand. Bella could feel her bones protesting under the pressure the older woman was putting on them and screams tore from her throat as they began to break.

Bella was only conscious of Victoria's lips on hers because it muffled the shrieks that she couldn't contain. She was writhing in pain, moving her hips to the side and trying to arch away from the predator on top of her. Victoria easily pushed her tongue into the human's mouth, further swallowing her screams.

Victoria reveled in the noises and movements of pain that her prey made, but she never cared for the screams. To her they were always annoyingly high pitched and irritated her sensitive ears. It was James who enjoyed the screeching of his victims, not her.

Bella was in agony as Victoria slowly continued her path of destruction up her arm. Between Victoria's mouth on hers and the cries of pain, Bella was having trouble getting oxygen. As a last ditch effort, she clamped her teeth down onto Victoria's tongue hoping that that would dissuade her from continuing.

Victoria barely felt the pathetic human's attempt, but decided to acknowledge it anyway. She pulled her face away a few inches and watched in amusement as her prey's chest heaved as she tried to make up for lost oxygen.

"So that's how you wanna play?" Victoria hummed in her ear.

"No-" Bella tried to protest, but was cut off by Victoria's mouth as she began to kiss her roughly. The red head ground her hips painfully into Bella's and began pressing onto the ribs of Bella's left side while kneading Bella's breast on the right.

Before this, Bella hadn't thought that the pain could increase, but she was wrong. Her vision was getting black as Victoria continued her violent assault. Victoria was slowly snapping her ribs one by one as a child would the bubbles in bubble wrap. Bella was a tooth pick compared to the pale supernatural being and they both were very aware of this fact.

Bella's vision was nearly all black and she realized that she would be spared the last details of her death thanks to unconsciousness. The last things she registered before giving into the blackness was a violent roar and the pale being above her moving away.

* * *

When Bella had awoken, she was in an annoyingly white room that smelled of disinfectant. Being a klutz, Bella had had her share of hospital visits, but none of them involved her not knowing how she got there. Her whole body ached, but when she looked down she noticed that she couldn't detect any injuries.

"Bella!" The concerned voice of her mother jolted her from her thoughts. The tan brunette moved towards her daughter, eyes bright with happiness at her daughter awaking, but also with worry. "I'm so glad you're okay, you've been unconscious for three days since the game warden found you." Bella's mother embraced her warmly. "The doctors weren't sure when you'd wake up."

The events of the last night she saw her friends caught up to Bella.

"Oh god." She sobbed as her hands went to her face. "They're all… Are they?" Her mother's eyes dimmed.

"I'm so sorry Bella." The older brunette ran a hand through Bella's hair. Bella tried to stifle the feeling of horror that bloomed with her mother's admission, but she continued to sob uncontrollably while her mother held her. She was so caught up in the moment that she didn't notice Phil shuffling awkwardly in the background.

When Bella slowly calmed down, he decided to break the silence.

"Bella, what happened?" He questioned, "The game warden found you unconscious Sunday evening and all while all of your friends looked like they were attacked by an animal you were just unconscious and unscathed besides a bite."

"A bite?" Bella questioned, not recalling receiving a bite before blacking out. Phil nodded at your question and pointed to some gauze on her upper arm that Bella had failed to notice. _Probably because of the pain medication_, Bella concluded as she took inventory of how she felt. She was sore, but the obvious lack of pain from the bite made her draw the conclusion that medication was involved.

"I don't," Bella tried to get her thoughts coherent, "it's all a blur. I went to get a bottle of water from the cooler by the tent and fell and then they started screaming." She realized that there was no way she could tell them what she suspected, maybe what happened was an animal attack and the rest was a dream? After all, vampires don't exist… right? "I think an animal attacked them. It headed towards me, but something else chased it off."

"What type of animal? Did you get a good look at it?" Phil inquired, earning a look from my mother.

"No, it was dark and nearly a new moon plus I wasn't near the fire. I just saw silhouettes, I couldn't even ball park a size." Phil nodded in acceptance and Bella mentally sighed. She wasn't normally a convincing liar, but it was a necessity at the moment.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Renée cooed in relief. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." Bella just gave a tentative smile. Even though she was safe now, she'd never look at life the same again. Always looking over her shoulder at every red headed female or pale skinned person. She knew that night, whether it actually happened or not, would always be burned into her mind.

* * *

It took all of two days and four funerals for Bella to make a decision. She had talked to her mother once she got out of the hospital Wednesday evening about arrangements to move to Forks. She had told her it was due to her need to forget that traumatic night and that starting over might help, but she really just couldn't stand Arizona anymore. The very ground made her shudder with memories.

Her mother's new husband also influenced her decision. Bella knew Renée wanted to travel with Phil whether she admitted it or not and Bella didn't want to tie her mother down. It had only taken two more days to organize her flight to Forks and have her belongings shipped up to the town. They didn't have to send much, just certain items and Bella's midnight blue Kawasaki Ninja 250. It was a small bike, but Bella wasn't very big and she didn't want to risk mixing her coordination with an excessive amount of horse power. She had originally had the typical hand me down car, but, after a long talk with her mother, traded it in and bought the bike off of with someone who had been looking to get a larger model. She was happy about the deal and learned that she wasn't nearly as clumsy on two wheels as she was on two feet, but that didn't mean she wasn't cautious.

It was Tuesday when her flight was set for Seattle and then a smaller flight to Port Angelus where her father would pick her up after work. She was about to board the plane when her mother caught her attention.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to." Renée gave her daughter an out.

"It's fine mom, I'm sure Forks will be great." Bella reassured. The look her mother gave her told her she was unsuccessful. "Okay, it might be a bit _dull_, but a change of scenery will be nice." Renée sighed in defeat.

"Alright, but if you ever want to come back, anytime, just let me know." She embraced her daughter.

"I'll call you when I get to the house." Bella broke away, knowing that if she let her mom continue she would miss the flight.

"Have a safe flight!" Her mother called as Bella was nearly out of ear shot and Bella just gave a nod and slight wave while doing her best not to look back. She would leave this all in the past and focus on her future. Little did she know that the supernatural was not done with her quite yet and that her life would never be the same.


	2. Fear Leads to Anger

**So, here's the next installment. I really don't like this chapter just because it's the basic, hey dad, nice truck, hi Forks people, I don't like the majority of you, uh oh, who are **_**they**_**?**

**Yeah, well school starts tomorrow which is brilliant. I'm totally stoked. Can't wait. Probably won't even be able to sleep. I'll definitely do my homework. I'll wait til after my work is done to write fanfiction.**

**Ha, anyway, here's the second chapter. Personally, I'm lookin forward to the next one.**

**Oh, and to people who want to know what bit Bella, that'll probably be next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Twilight… The vampires wouldn't be vegetarians and would actually have legit reasons to brood over being a monster. (I mean really? Why is Edward sooo angsty?) Rosalie, sure, human life ended horribly. Jasper, well yeah, his creator was a bit unhinged. But **_**Edward?**_** 'Oh, I eat animals and at one point killed criminals.' He might as well just be a super hero… Ahem.. on to the story yeah? (I'm pretty sure I got this title from Star Wars… oops. Well, Yoda **_**is**_** cool…)**

Fear Leads to Anger

Bella was pretty sure she had never seen so much green in her life. She wasn't a stranger to Forks, but she had never truly grasped how green everything was. She couldn't help but nearly snort at the irony that the least sunny place she knew had such an abundance of plants. It goes without saying that the plants had adequate amounts of water, but didn't they need photosynthesis to live?

These were the thoughts that distracted Bella on her trip from Port Angelus to Forks in her father's police cruiser. They had already exchanged awkward pleasantries and quickly ran out of things to discuss before falling into silence. Normally Bella would love the chance to be alone with her thoughts daydreaming and looking out a window, but her thoughts always went back to the red eyes. She let out an involuntary shiver. Charlie noticed this and turned the heater up and Bella gave him a fake thankful smile. She didn't want to explain that she wasn't shaking from the cold.

The trip from the city to Forks wasn't a very long one, but traffic seemed to crawl as soon as the drivers caught a glimpse of the police car. Bella wished they could go faster. She had never been claustrophobic, but lately small spaces had begun to annoy her. Between the two flights, she had had enough enclosed spaces for the foreseeable future. She shifted in her seat and rested her arm on the door before placing her face in her palm.

She searched the area for something to use as a distraction or to spark her interest so she didn't fall back into destructive thoughts, but all she noted was green.

_Would Victoria's eyes have been green if she were human?_ Bella thought absently before cringing at the direction her train of thought took. _And how did I get this bite?_ Bella looked down at her arm. She couldn't see the mark, but she knew it was there; an angry red bite mark that was slowly fading, but would probably always stand out against her pale skin. _Did Victoria bite me? Would I become like __**them**__?_ Bella sighed, rubbing the palm her face had been perched on against her forehead trying to relieve some tension. _How did one camping trip end up with me here and my friends gone?_ Tears she wouldn't let fall welled in her eyes. Bella was almost aware of how her feelings were changing. Her initial fear was wearing off, leaving a scar of hate. She wanted to avenge her friends and wished she had the capability of doing so, but what could she do? She was only human and Victoria had made it blatantly obvious the difference in their strength and speed.

"You okay Bells?" Charlie questioned from her side while shooting her a concerned gaze before returning his eyes to the road.

"Yeah, I'm fine ch- dad. Just a headache." She gave him a smile of reassurance, but it was more of a grimace. Unsure of what to do, Charlie just nodded and continued to focus on driving.

_Great, I have to deal with my emotional scarring and the awkward tension between me and my dad._ Bella internally grumbled.

Frowning at the silence in the car aside from the noise of rain against the windshield, Bella pulled out her Ipod from her pocket. Music was her main outlet now and served as a nice distraction and, as long as she avoided the soundtrack from _Queen of the Damned_, she didn't have to worry about hearing vampiric allusions in the songs.

She leaned her head against the glass and closed her eyes. She ignored all of her senses aside from hearing. She didn't see the obnoxious amount of green and she ignored the musty damp smell that accompanied everything that lived with this dreary weather.

Just as she was thinking about jumping out of the car and hitchhiking to a place with a different climate, the car rolled to a stop. Upon opening her eyes, Bella recognized the house that she had stayed in during the summers that she would come here. The two story house didn't look like it changed much at all. Bella didn't really care about the house, but she was relieved that moss had not grown on the exterior. She was pretty sure if she saw that particular shade more than necessary, she would crack, dump gasoline on it, and strike a match.

_Wait, fire… Vampires don't like fire right? _ Bella pondered. Organisms didn't typically live through fires and since vampires were human at one time (or so was Bella's hypothesis) then they should be vulnerable to it right? _Not that it matters, I'd be dead before I could ignite a lighter._ With a sigh of defeat, she got out of the car and went to the trunk to retrieve her luggage.

"Here, let me help you." Charlie offered as Bella pulled out her suit case.

"I got it, thanks." Her father gave her an appraising look.

"You've definitely changed."

"No I haven't," Bella frowned, "I'm the same clumsy girl that visited during the summer."

"Bells, you haven't so much as stumbled since you got off the plane. In fact, you look more athletic than you used to, have you been playing sports?"

"Dad, the day I understand sports is the day I decide to go streaking. Not gonna happen."

"That's good to know," Charlie muttered awkwardly, "I'd hate to have to book you for a crime like that."

"You and I both." Bella gave him a grin before following his lead into the house.

The room Bella placed her items still held a hint its earlier childhood vibe, but Charlie had gotten new bedding and there was a desk in the corner. An ancient computer was perched upon it and Bella was grateful for her laptop. Windows 95 was just not an appropriate system to use anymore. The walls were relatively plain which Bella preferred; her life was chaotic enough without the idea of a cluttered room. Besides, it's harder to trip when your rooms clean, not _that _difficult as Bella had proven again and again, but harder than if it were disorganized.

"I hope you like it; I haven't really done much with it since you were here last."

"Yeah dad, this is great." Bella said awkwardly but genuinely.

"Good. Guess I'll just leave you to it."

"Okay." Charlie made to leave.

"Oh, I just figured I'd order pizza for tonight, any preferences?"

"Whatever you get, it doesn't matter to me."

"Okay." Charlie shuffled for a moment before leaving the room.

With a relieved sigh, Bella began unpacking. It didn't take long and it wasn't long after she begun that she was finished and flopped on her bed. The hectic week she had been quickly catching up to her and she barely managed to cling to her pillow before succumbing to sleep.

All too soon a loud clunkering of a vehicle brought Bella back to a state of alertness. She wiped the grime from her eyes and tried to shake off the feeling of disorientation she always got after a nap. She glanced out the window and noticed that night had fallen. She shivered at the thought of the things that lurked in the shadows beyond the walls that surrounded her. After the incident, as she had named the nearly fatal encounter between her and the three vampires, she had devised several rules to make sure something similar would not reoccur. Rule one was to be home and in the house before nightfall. She wasn't sure whether or not the spontaneous combustion in sunlight was a practical hypothesis for real-life vampires, but she figured it couldn't hurt. Rule two was to carry a lighter…. Just in case.

Curious about the reason for her state of consciousness, Bella made her way to the living room. Charlie was with two other men near the door. Both of them were Native American and had tan skin and dark hair. The younger one stood over six feet and was massive. _Steroids?_ Bella pondered. There was a circular tribal tattoo on one of his arms that was partially covered by his shirt. His hair was cropped short unlike the older male's whose was worn long. The older man's worn face was friendly but guarded while the tall one was smiling openly.

"Bella, you remember Billy Black and his son Jacob right? We used to visit them on the Reservation." Charlie introduced.

"Yeah," Bella said despite only foggy recognition at best, "Long time no see."

"I just bought your home coming present off of Billy here, why don't you have Jake take you out to it."

"You didn't have to get me anything dad." Bella shifted nervously. She never was a big fan of gifts. She tolerated them on Christmas and her birthday, but she preferred to buy her own things.

"I know I didn't _have_ to," Charlie smiled while rubbing the back of his neck and blushing, "But I figured it'd be good to have a back-up with the Forks weather."

"A back-up?"

"Yeah, wouldn't want you riding your bike in the rain."

"You got me a car!" Bella exclaimed.

"Not exactly, it's in the drive way, go see for yourself." Bella gave him a brief, albeit awkward hug before she and Jake walked outside.

"She's a bit older, but she runs great."

"She?" Bella questioned as the ancient Chevy truck came into view. It was a faded red that was nearly orange. Bella was thankful that they hadn't considered a new paint job. If it were redder, she'd probably get it going, jump out and then let it wrap around a tree…

"Well, I'd feel awkward riding a male."

"Yeah, same here." Bella muttered.

"What?"

"I said, 'how do you change gears'? It looks pretty old so it has a manual transmission right?" Jake seemed to quickly snap from his suspicions.

"Yeah, it's pretty basic; you just have to pop the clutch. You'll get the hang of it in no time." He grinned.

"I'm sure. I have a bike so gears shouldn't be difficult. I just haven't driven a car with a manual transmission before." Bella opened the truck door with a sound of creaking metal. She hopped in the driver's seat and Jacob leaned closer as rambled on about how everything in the truck worked. From this distance, Bella could smell the almost spicy smell of the body washed he used, but there was another smell that lingered beneath it. The smell was similar to that of a canine and Bella had to fight the sudden urge to move away from Jake.

"You okay?" Jake questioned.

"Hmm, oh, yeah. I'm just a bit out of it, jet lag ya know?" Bella feigned a yawn to make it convincing.

The two headed back into the house to Bella's relief. _Day one of Forks and I have already broken rule numero uno. _

"Bells, I'm gonna drive Billy and Jake back to the Rez, the pizza's on the counter. Will you be okay by yourself?" Charlie asked as he picked up the keys to his cruiser.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll probably just go to sleep, big day tomorrow."

"Are you sure you want to start school tomorrow? You can always wait till Monday, there's no rush."

"No, I'll start tomorrow. School's a good.. distraction." Bella ran her hand through her hair. There was no way she'd spend two days alone while her father was off at work. She'd probably manage to think herself into hysterics. _Maybe I should have had therapy…_ She pondered, _Oh, hi, my names Bella and I'm a vampire attack survivor. Yeah, that'd work out great. I'd have pills shoved down my throat before I could even finish filling out my medical information. _

"Well, if you're sure." Charlie conceded. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah, night dad," Bella turned her attention to the two Quileutes, "it was nice seeing you guys again.

"Same here, you should stop by the Rez sometime." Jake grinned.

"Yeah, I'll see you around."

They finished their goodbyes and Charlie drove away. Bella locked the door as soon as it closed even though she knew it would be pointless at warding off the things she feared. _Maybe if I'm lucky vampires have to be invited in._ Bella nearly snorted. _Yeah, I could see that now. "Bella, may I come in so I can devour your blood?" "What, no." "Okay" Then she would probably just rip the wall away._

Bella shook her head before taking a couple slices of the now cold pizza and putting them on a plate before popping them in the microwave.

_I would invest in wooden stakes, but seeing as a __**combat**__ knife didn't make a scratch, it'd probably be useless. Now how can I talk Charlie into letting me purchase a flame thrower?..._

A loud beep interrupted Bella's thoughts and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Geez, when did these things get so loud?" She mumbled to herself while grabbing her pizza.

It wasn't until she was throwing the pizza box away that Bella realized how much she had eaten. _Geez, Charlie only ate three pieces…_ She did her nightly routine and laid down on her bed. _Probably just a growth spurt… Maybe not… Well, it __was__ a long flight…_

Bella nearly leapt across her room when her alarm clock sounded. _Geez, that thing is loud enough to signal the apocalypse._ She slammed her hand down on it, effectively silencing the evil invention. _This is a sign, I should invest in one of the ones that have nature sounds and slowly get louder…_

"Bells, you awake?" Charlie questioned from outside her door.

"Yeah dad." _Alarms have a tendency to do that._

"Okay, well I'm gonna go head to the station, if you need anything just call there and they'll get a hold of me."

"Alright, thanks dad."

"Yeah, well, have a good day at school. Tell me if any of the guys mess with you." _Oh, there it is, over-protective father mode activated. Maybe I should date a guy from Forks. Just long enough for him to see Charlie cleaning his gun. Priceless._

"Okay, see you later. Try not to pull any of my soon to be friends over, kay?"

Charlie chuckled a bit, "No guarantees kiddo."

Bella could hear her dad's heavy footsteps leaving the hallway and out the house. _Either he walks really heavy, or my sense of hearing is changing… Well he __**was**__ wearing boots._

Bella went through her normal daily routine and stood in front of my closet. _Okay, I don't want to look like a hobo, but I don't want to wear anything that says "Hi! I'm new, wear brand clothing, and would like all the guys to hit on me and all the girls to hate me because the guys they like are hitting on me." Goal for today: make neutral acquaintances. There's no way I'm jumping aboard ship __Friend__ less than two weeks after the people whom I had been friends with for years were killed by vampires who chugged their blood as if they were college students at a frat party drinking beer. _

Deciding on a pair of jeans, converse, a simple white long sleeve shirt, and a brown hoodie, Bella quickly got dressed and went down stairs. She was on her third bowl of cereal before she checked her phone to see that she was about to be running late if she didn't leave. With a frown at the still half-full bowl, she put it in the sink and picked up her keys. _Time to see how this beast of a truck runs._

The truck didn't _run_ per se. In the land of vehicles, what her truck was capable of would probably be considered speed walking at the best. Bella wasn't the type of person to drive at ridiculous speeds, but she was starting to wonder if she could just ditch the truck and jog to school.

She pulled into the school parking lot and found a space that was, thankfully, near the office. In a small town like this, she was bound to be the source of many stares and she was going to try her best to keep that to a minimum. She slid turned off her truck and it shuddered to silence. _Poor truck, this thing should be in its retirement years, not being the source of transportation for a teenager._

Even for someone as directionally lost as Bella, Mrs. Cope was easy to find. She gave Bella her schedule and a slip to be signed before wishing her luck on her first day.

The small halls of Forks high were crammed with students. Bella was navigating these halls with her schedule and a map while sidestepping oncoming traffic when someone tapped her on the shoulder and she nearly jumped out of her skin. _Geez, what's today? Scare the girl who practically has PTSD day?_

"Hi, I'm Eric, Eric Yorkie. You must be Isabella. I'm with the school newspaper and your story made the front page." He grinned while falling in step with Bella. He had olive colored skin, dark eyes and dark hair. His smile was friendly and Bella felt herself smile a bit before she registered what he said. She didn't need the whole school of Forks knowing about _that_ night.

"My- my story? Umm, can you not, I just umm."

"No worries, no feature. It was just about you being a new student, but don't worry about it." Eric soothed.

"Oh, right, thanks." Bella blushed.

"What's your first class?" Bella just handed him her schedule.

"Cool, I have that English class first period too. Want me to walk you there?" _Like a dog?_ Bella almost snorted at his wording, but didn't say anything. He seemed nice so she would hold back her recently short temper. She remembered the first time she realized how irritable she had become since the incident. Her mother had attempted cooking and ended up burning the lasagna she made beyond recognition. Bella kicked her out of the kitchen in an out of character manner and cooked something edible.

"So, how are you liking Forks so far?"

"It's okay. I don't like the weather, I'm used to constant sun, but I guess it's a nice change of pace."

The idle chit chat stopped when they got to class and Bella got her slip signed.

In her next few classes she met Jessica, Angela, and Mike Newton. Jessica was okay, if Bella's temperament was how it used to be, she would consider being friends with her, but as of now she just wanted to sew her mouth shut in the most gruesome manner possible. Angela was one of the few people that she had taken a liking to. She was quite, but when she spoke, her words were genuine and nice. Mike Newton was cute in the clueless, puppy-dog way. He had a boyish face, blonde hair, and blue eyes. He would have been okay if it weren't for his overly friendly, overly-persistent personality.

Overall, everything was going well... Until she got to lunch. She piled a tray full of food and sat down with Angela. She had been introduced to the group's other friends Tyler, Lauren, and Ben.

"Have I seen you before?" Tyler questioned.

"I don't think so.." Bella stated, hoping that her face hadn't landed in a newspaper article without her knowledge.

"Oh, I know now, you look like my next girlfriend." Tyler smirked. It took all of Bella's self-control not to burst out laughing.

"Yeah, thanks, but no thanks." She didn't hear his reply or the reaction of the others. Her eyes flew to the cafeteria doors where six people were walking in. They were all undeniably beautiful and _pale_. She froze, fight or flight instincts kicking in. _They'll catch me if I run… Just blend in.. Wait, why are vampires attending a school? _The lean blonde male vampire gave Bella a look of confusion before averting his gaze. She felt a wave of calm overtake her senses, but she couldn't bring herself to question it.

"I see you've spotted the Cullens." Jessica observed before going straight into gossip mode, misconstruing Bella's fear and shock for awe. "The big guy there is Emmett and the blonde chick next to him is Rosalie. They're siblings, but they're together. Like, _together_ together. The other blonde girl is Kate and the one with the pained expression is Jasper, her boyfriend. Then the bronze haired one is Edward, but he's single. I guess no one here is good enough for him." She ended bitterly.

"How many times has he turned you down?" Bella smirked a bit before thinking of something to soften the insult. "Doesn't matter anyway, he's probably not the best guy to date."

"I know right! But I'd at least want a chance." Jessica whined.

"I wouldn't." Bella scoffed, eyes finally landing on the last Cullen. Unlike the others, she was a bit on the short side. Her hair was inky black and styled in a way that screamed controlled chaos. "What about her?" _Might as well know the all the names of the people who might kill me._

"Oh, that's Alice. She's okay I guess, probably the nicest of the Cullens, but she doesn't date either. I guess they like to keep it in the family." _It's amazing how a monster could be so beautiful.._

"Don't listen to Jessica, they're all adopted. The only blood relation in the family is Jasper and Rosalie, they're twins." Angela defended.

"Yeah, but it's still weird." Jessica argued.

"You have no idea." Bella muttered only to be greeted with six pairs of golden eyes. _Crap._ Jessica gave Bella a weird look before continuing to talk about everything that's been happening in Forks. Most of the eyes focused on Bella were narrowed, but for some reason her eyes went to Alice. She was staring with hope and curiosity. Bella looked suspiciously at the pixie-like vampire.

"So what do you say?" A voice questioned from Bella's side.

"What?" She turned her gaze to Mike.

"We're all going to La Push Saturday and we wanted to know if you wanted to come with. I could pick you up, I'm sure you wouldn't want to drive your ancient truck if you didn't have to." Mike smiled like he had just given her a gift rather than insulting her vehicle.

"Sure, I'm in, but I'll drive myself thanks."

"Are you sure? Maybe I could catch a ride with you then, save gas help the environment right?" Mike gave a puppy-dog like grin as if he was waiting for me to pat him on the head and give him a treat.

"Sure, but most guys don't like riding bitch on my bike." Some 'ohhs' chorused around the table and a guffaw sounded from the Cullens. Bella glanced at them to see the big one laughing and Rosalie elbowing him. He gave a kiss to her hair and wrapped his arm around her in apology. She accidentally caught Rosalie's attention and was quickly awarded a glare.

"Oh." Mike mumbled, his expression crest fallen.

"You can ride in my car." Jessica offered bubbly.

"It's fine, I'll just drive myself." Jessica's smile automatically fell.

"You can ride with me if you want Jess, I'm an awesome rider." Bella gave a wink to the dejected girl, "And I'm pretty good on a motorcycle too." Angela chuckled, Eric gave Bella a high five and Lauran looked at her with disgust. Jessica wasn't sure how to react and just laughed half-heartedly.

"Bella, babe, you can ride me whenever you want." Tyler smirked, openly appraising her.

"Babe?" Bella questioned. "Sorry hun; you're not my type."

"What is your type?" Mike finally broke from his depression.

"Petite, dark hair, nice personality." Bella rambled. "And a heartbeat." She muttered to herself. The Cullen table seemed to overhear this. The majority looked sad and when Bella caught Alice's eyes tear up, she nearly ran over and apologized. _Wait, apologized for what? They're the ones who drink people like they're sipping on daiquiris… _Rosalie was glaring fiercely at Bella and Bella held her gaze, some primal part of her telling her not to back down. She set her mouth in a scowl and didn't break eye contact. Alice said something to Rosalie, making the blonde break contact before looking back quickly. Bella just smirked and finished her lunch.

**I don't know what my problem is, but I suck at writing dialog. I think I'd have better luck scratching out my eyes and then typing this up blind. …Exaggerating a bit, but still.**

**There's going to be a bit of a gap between this chapter and next. I have to write an extended essay I was supposed to write over summer as well as do my summer reading by Friday.. yay.**

"**But I thought you liked reading?"**

**Oh, I do, if I had my way, my room would be a friggin library. I just don't like being told what to read. Problems with authority? Ehh, probably not, I just don't like doing things I don't want to do and then I procrastinate as much as possible. Anywho, once Friday passes I'll go back to writing hard core for this story. Knowing my personality, it'd be best not to stay a way for long. If I lose motivation and go on hiatus, it might take a while. Alas, I will try my best to stay focused, but this **_**is**_** my senior year and, unlike the majority of my peers, I'm still taking difficult classes. Is it odd that I like writing **_**and**_** math? Usually people only like one or the other and yet I'm on here ****and**** I plan on being an engineer…**

**Oh well, hope you liked the story. I'll try to get the next chapter out ASAP.**

**Oh, and Thank you so much to the people who reviewed, favorited, and followed. I was not expecting a response at all so it was a pleasant surprise.**


	3. Fate and Other Inevitable Matters

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. If I did, I think we all know it would have went a bit differently.**

**Fate and Other Inevitable Matters**

Bella's luck ceased to fail her in her Biology class. Not only did she stumble upon a school that had _six_ vampires, but fate decided that it would be great to have her sit by one of them. She was in her seat and she was surprised her muscles hadn't cramped yet with how tense she was. Every single fiber of her being was poised to make a mad dash out of the classroom.

Had she not been distracted by the anxiety coursing through her, she would have found it ironic that a _vampire_ was taking _bio_logy. A moving corpse learning about living things, it was laughable. Oh well, seems only natural that the predator would learn about its prey.

Bella wasn't the only one tense about the situation. Edward had been glaring daggers as soon as she was assigned to sit next to him, a chance of bad luck that neither seemed to enjoy. Bella was staring straight ahead, determined not to make eye-contact with the brooding blood sucker.

Another ten minutes passed and Bella was on her last nerve.

"_What?_" She hissed.

"What are you?" Edward's eyebrows furrowed, if possible, even more.

"What am _I_?"

"Yes, what are _you_, I can't read you."

"Last time I checked, I wasn't the new best seller."

"That's not what I meant." Edward ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"Look, I'm a human, you're a vampire, I'm glad we had this conversation now if you'd kindly forget I exist, that'd be fabulous." Bella returned her attention to the class discussion.

"How do you know?"

Bella ignored his question and thought of things to keep her distracted from the teenager who had yet to avert his gaze.

The brunette was out of the class and away from Edward before the bell was even finished ringing. She idly thought about how she had achieved that feat without stumbling at all, but filed that thought away for later.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she got to her seat in the last class of the day, art. The tables were set up so that two were at each desk. Bella decided to play it safe and sat in one of the back tables. She all but collapsed into the seat and rested her head in her hands. People began filing into the room, but Bella didn't look up. She was trying to relax. Her nerves were still on edge.

With a deep breath to center herself she picked her head up and returned her attention to the class. She didn't know anyone and she was content with this. No fake smiles and annoyingly cliché pleasantries. The class seemed like a popular one, the only seat left was the one next to her.

The bell rang and the teacher was about to begin class when a familiar form entered the room. Alice gave the teacher an apologetic smile before searching the room for a seat. Resigned to her unbelievable bad luck, Bella just sighed. Alice approached the seat nervously and Bella was almost amused by this. _Geez, you'd think I was the one that bites, not her._ She silently mused.

"Hi, I'm Alice." She gave a slightly shy smile while holding out her hand politely.

"I'm sure you already know who I am." Bella spoke, ignoring the gesture. A pang of guilt rammed through her as she saw the smile fade into disappointment and her hand drop. "I'm Bella." She tried for a smile, but she was pretty sure it was more of a grimace. She held her hand out. Alice's smile reappeared and she shook Bella's hand gently. Bella shuddered slightly at the temperature, flashing back to that night before regaining her composure and focusing on the class.

The class was simple and when the bell rang Bella left in the same manner she had in biology. She successfully managed to avoid the people who would try to talk to her and make it to her truck. It was raining lightly and there was an ominous crack of thunder in the distance that signaled that the rain would not stay light. With the intention of getting home quickly, Bella dug out the keys to her ancient vehicle.

"Swan." A menacing, musical voice made Bella's head snap up. Her brown eyes met the piercing dark amber eyes of one Rosalie Hale. She was much too close for Bella's taste, but Bella stood her ground.

"Cullen." Bella acknowledged.

"What the Hell is your problem?" Rosalie was in Bella's face now and her eyes were quickly darkening.

"I believe I could ask the same thing to you." Bella gestured to their proximity.

Rosalie continued, ignoring Bella's statement. "You're going to tell me how you know about my family and then you're going to apologize to Alice for hurting her." Bella could only scoff.

"You and your _family_ are freaks, not hard to figure out. As for Alice, I didn't hurt her, last time I checked, you guys were quite industrial." Rosalie's forearm was now pressed against Bella's collarbone. Bella nearly winced under the pressure, but the same instinct that told her earlier not to back down from Rosalie's glare was growling in her head again. She wouldn't back down, and if the incident repeated itself, there was no way she would give the vampire the satisfaction of seeing her pain.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. You hurt her feelings. You hurt my family and you have to deal with me." Rosalie's eyes narrowed, they were nearly black now.

"So vampires actually have emotions unrelated to sadistic urges. I'm almost impressed." Bella leaned forward, glaring hard at the blonde.

"You don't know anything about us."

"Good, I don't _want_ to. You guys can just avoid me for the rest of your eternity, or until I die. Personally, I'd prefer the former; I wouldn't want to deal with more dead people than I'd have to when I'm six feet under." Rosalie was snarling, her sharp teeth bared and venom shining on them. She applied more pressure to her forearm and Bella dropped her keys in surprise. She regained her composure and resumed her glaring contest with the blonde despite trouble breathing.

"I don't know what she sees in you."

"What are you talking about?" Bella's confusion broke through her façade.

"Rosalie" Alice's chime-like voice entered their conversation. _How long has she been here?_ Bella wondered. "Leave her alone." She pried her sister away from Bella and Bella looked to her but she kept her eyes downcast.

"Fine." Rosalie spat before walking to the rest of the Cullens. Wordlessly, Alice picked up Bella's keys and handed them to her. The look on her face was heartbreaking and Bella could only muster a soft 'thanks' before the petite vampire was gone.

The next day was not nearly as eventful as the other. The initial shock of having a new student in Forks wore down a bit and Bella no longer felt like she was on display. The most startling difference however, was how none of the Cullens acknowledged her presence. Not a sideways glance, glare, smile, nothing. It was as if she didn't exist and, had it not been for the absence of a specific Cullen, she would have been content with this.

Alice. She wasn't at school and Bella could only wonder why. _It's not like vampires can get sick… Is she avoiding me? Shouldn't I be the one avoiding her?_ She looked to the empty spot at the Cullen table. _Not like I care, she's just a vampire. She probably eats babies for breakfast…_ Bella stewed in her denial. _Besides, she was probably just acting nice; she's probably had centuries to perfect the cute little harmless cute pixie façade…. Crap, I used cute twice…_ Bell just rested her head in her hands. _No, no feelings, not for anyone. It's too soon, besides, since when was I a necrophiliac?_

"Earth to Bella." An annoying, preppy voice sounds from across the table.

"What?" She snapped, eyes falling onto Jessica.

"Geez, we were just discussing our trip, if you wanted to come with that is." Bella felt a bit out of the loop and Angela came to her aid.

"We're heading to Port Angelus for a few hours tonight to look at Prom dresses and we wanted to know if you wanted to come with us." She gestured to herself, Lauren, and Jessica.

"I don't know, Prom and dresses aren't really my thing." Bella fidgeted with her food and fought the urge to look back to the Cullen table in case the inky haired vampire had miraculously appeared.

"Please Bella, it'll be fun." Angela pleaded genuinely while looking at Bella before motioning towards Lauren and Jessica in a way that begged Bella not to leave her alone with them. Bella had to fight back a smile at the situation.

"Fine," she rolled her eyes, "but I'm just gonna play judge, there's no way you're getting me into one of those things."

"Fair enough." Angela grinned. We're leaving after school, would it be okay to leave your truck here overnight?"

"Hmm? Yeah, no problem, my bike should be in by now anyway."

"Okay, we'll meet at my car after class."

"How long will we be in Port Angelus?" Bella asked curiously, trying to not allow the nervousness she felt seep into her words.

"I have to be home by eight to watch my siblings, so we'll probably leave by seven." Bella nodded, relieved that she wouldn't be walking around an unfamiliar city after nightfall.

* * *

"What do you think Bella?" Bella snapped her eyes away from the shop window and towards the two girls who just approached her, Jessica in a pink dress and Angela in a blue. Lauren had bailed on the plans much to Bella's, and probably Angela's, relief.

"They look great." She responded distractedly.

"You've said that about every one that we tried on." Jessica whined.

"Yeah, no, I just mean, these are probably the best you've tried on tonight. You both look great."

"Thank you Bella." Angela smile and Jessica just resumed checking herself out in the mirror.

"Hey," Bella caught their attention again, "Are there any book stores around here?" Jessica, of course, didn't answer. _Probably wouldn't crack open a non-school related book to save her life._

"Yeah, there's a small one just down the road. If you want, you can check it out and meet us at the restaurant in about fifteen minutes, I think we've narrowed down our choices."

"Okay, I'll see you then." Bella left the store and into the late afternoon though, with the weather, it seemed nearly night. She pulled her jacket closer around her and trudged to where the bookstore would be. It was raining again, similar to how it was yesterday. The thunder would roar in the distance, but the rain would just keep falling at a light pace. Bella had never been a fan of rain, she had always preferred the sun, but the rain here was comforting. It was almost like a blanket covering the world around her. She paused before the shop, closing her eyes and inhaling the scent of the rain in the downtown part of the city. She entered the store and easily found the mythology section.

_How to kill vampires…_ She thought to herself as her gaze flicked over the dozens of books before her. Books on gods and goddesses, the fey, were-creatures, vampires and various other supernatural beings filled the shelves. Bella scanned the titles unhappily until her eyes fell upon one. It was a book that talked about 'the cold ones' and she figured that that might be an adequate term for vampires. Decision made, she grabbed the book and went to the cash register. A middle aged woman rang up her purchase. She was tan with dark hair and Bella briefly compared her to Jacob and Billy, she definitely could be Quileute. The woman silently raised her eyebrows at the purchase, but did not say anything. She handed Bella her change and Bella mumbled a pleasantry before walking out.

She was flipping through the book as her feet carried her in the direction she thought she came from. So far the book mentioned two supernaturals, vampires and people that shifted into wolves. _Please don't let the other one be true; vampires are enough to deal with._

Bella continued to walk for several more minutes before finally lifting her head from the book. She had obviously gone in the opposite direction that she needed to and she was surrounded by warehouses and abandoned buildings. This was unsettling, but what set Bella on edge more was that she wasn't alone. She could hear several men stumbling behind her. She continued walking, not picking up her pace. She took a turn, hoping she could make a couple more and end up going back in the direction she needed to. She was halfway down the road when three more men came from the direction she was walking towards. There was no turn for her to take. She was stuck between the men behind her, the men in front of her, and several gated and boarded up buildings.

"What's a girl like you doing here alone?"

"Probably looking for some fun, I know I am."

The men continued to make similar jeers while they closed in on Bella like a cast net around fish. Bella glared back and forth between the men, feeling like a cornered animal. One of the men approached her and roughly grabbed her face.

"We sure have a pretty one tonight." He gave a teasing tap to her face.

"I honestly don't think you have anything tonight." Bella stated, eyes fierce as she focused on the man. He was scruffy, as they all were, with dark hair and beady eyes. The men all reeked of alcohol.

"This one might be a bit fun." Another man from the group grinned. Bella just gave him a sneer as a rush of adrenaline hit her. She turned her attention back to the first man and swiftly kicked him in his groin. Another man reached for her and she grabbed his arm and used his momentum to throw him into two others. One went to grab Bella, but she fluidly avoided his grasp and tripped him. The first one she kicked was recovering now and grabbed something from his pocket. The three who had ended up on the ground all rushed her and managed to grab her arms. She pulled and tried to kick, but the three held her still. The one with the beady eyes approached her again, a knife in his hand. The blade was simple and would have shown in the light had it not been so dark in the alley.

"I think that counted as enough foreplay." His dark eyes fell malevolently on Bella. Without preamble, he jabbed the knife into her, the cruel blade sinking easily into her abdomen. A gasp left Bella and he pulled the knife out before preparing to continue. Bella's pain turned into rage, a blind, powerful rage that she couldn't contain nor did she want to. She lashed out at the men and found that she could throw them off of her with little effort.

It only seemed like moments later that they were all on the ground unconscious or wishing to be unconscious. The squeal of tires awoke Bella from her wrath. A bright, canary yellow Porsche slid to a stop in front of her. Bella merely lifted her brow at the display before picking up the book that she had dropped sometime during the brawl.

"Bella!" A certain pixie called out as she exited the car and sped to the brunette, not bothering with the human charade. Bella flinched when Alice was in front of her in a flash, but did not further recoil. "Are you okay? I saw you get stabbed and I tried to get here as soon as I could are you okay, what-" She seemed to finally take inventory of the scene. "I thought you said you were human?"

Bella examined her surroundings and tried to contemplate how exactly five men were on the ground before remembering Alice mentioning her injury. She didn't answer the vampire at first as she lifted up her shirt and jacket to see blood coating her skin. She moved her hand to the skin, wiping the blood as she searched for where it had originated. The skin underneath the crimson was completely unharmed.

"I thought I was."

**A/N: I almost feel like apologizing for this chapter. It's my least favorite so far. I intended to make this chapter longer and take it in a completely different direction for the latter half of it, but that didn't happen. Anyway, I'm writing this instead of doing homework so yay for procrastination. The next chapter should be very interesting and overall better than this one.**

**Thank you for all of your reviews favs and follows.  
**


	4. Revelations

**A/N Well, this chapter turned out differently than what I expected. It's pretty short. I intended for it to be longer, but I wanted to break the next few parts up. This is a bit of a fluff chapter, mostly dialogue and remorse. Next chapter should be more amusing. I apologize for my excessive lateness. No real excuse aside from my lack of attention span.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Twilight... ****The supporting characters would get way more attention. Seriously, the best characters in the book barely get any page-time. It's all** **Oh-look-Edward-_Swoon... _**

"Sooo" Alice began. She and Bella had been sitting awkwardly at a table in _La Belle Italia_ for about ten minutes. Their orders had been put in and Bella was fidgeting with her drink. Bella had given Alice an odd look when she ordered as well, but decided to not question the vampiress. They were alone in their section of the restaurant and Alice had slyly handed what Bella assumed was an extravagant tip to keep it that way. Bella didn't know why they were going to have this conversation in a public area; there were countless other possible scenarios for this.

"So." Bella replied half-heartedly. She knew where this was going; it was going to end up there at some point that night.

"You're not human." It was a statement.

"I believe the same can be said about you." Deflection.

Alice leveled Bella with a look. "You said you thought you were human?"

"Last time I checked." Alice sighed. "Never thought I'd have to keep tabs on what species I am. I'll have to check those more often. What's next? I'll turn into the freakin Lock-ness monster?" Alice shifted, obviously picking up on Bella's not so calm attitude towards the situation.

"Maybe we should start from the beginning. How do you know about vampires?" Bella fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Can we talk about that some other time?" Her eyes were glued to the table. She rubbed her arm nervously. Alice, noting this, nodded.

"Sure. Umm, have you been around any other supernaturals?" Bella blanched.

"There're more than just vampires?" _Great, because god forbid there's only one type of freak supernatural race, _she thought bitterly.

"Yup." Bella rested her head in her hands, her fingers spread through her hair.

"Of course there are." Bella mumbled dryly and Alice smiled sympathetically.

"I guess it's safe to say you only know about vampires. What all do you know?"

"Aside from the fact that they're bad for your health?" Bella raised an eyebrow while the vampire just waited patiently. It would be ironic for someone who literally has all the time in the world to be impatient. "I know that you're impossibly strong and fast. Your skin is rock hard and cold." Bella couldn't help but run comparisons of the vampires that attacked her and the Cullens. There was only one physical difference. "Why aren't your eyes red?"

Alice seemed taken aback by the question. "Bella," she started in near disbelief, "my family and I go to school, do you really think we eat humans?"

Shock played across Bella's face. "You mean.. this whole time… you don't harm humans?" Bella stumbled over her words as she ran a hand through her hair.

"No. My whole family, we don't want to hurt anyone, that's why we drink from animals; that's why our eyes are gold, not red. We want to maintain what's left of our humanity." Her tone was sincere and she held eye contact with Bella, trying to convey that she would never harm her. That, to her, harming Bella would be ten times worse than anything that could happen to herself.

Bella's eyes teared slightly as the words Alice said washed over her. The things she had said, the things she had thought, they were all wrong. "Alice, I'm sorry, I had no clue, I just, after the incident, I thought." She couldn't finish her rambling as she looked down and put her trembling hands on her face.

Alice gracefully slipped from her booth and next to Bella. "Bella, shhh, it's all right, you didn't know. I should have told you as soon as we knew you knew what we were. It's my fault for letting you draw those conclusions; I just assumed you already knew enough about vampires." She gently placed her arm around the non-human.

"No it's not," she shuddered out. "It's just… they-they killed them all and I-" a sob choked out, "I couldn't do anything."

At these words Alice embraced Bella tighter, protectively. Her eyes were determined. Nothing would happen to Bella. Not while she was there to prevent it. Bella took a deep breath, trying to stave off having a complete breakdown in public.

"They won't hurt you ever again." Her cold embrace was warm. Bella could almost feel Alice's emotions seeping into her, wrapping around her like a protective blanket. She briefly thought how selfish this was. That she was so concerned about her own safety when she was the one who made it out of the incident nearly unscathed while the others died. Was she so narcissistic that she didn't care about the safety of anyone but herself? Did the others in her life matter? Or maybe it wasn't so much of lack of concern as it was lack of ability to help even if she could. Then again, after the brawl with her would-be murderers, maybe she could help now. Maybe she could repay the debt she had stacked up during that camping trip.

"Why do they do what they do when they don't have to?" Bella's eyes were dry now, but red as she lifted her head to make eye contact with Alice. "Why would they drag it out?"

Alice's countenance softened even more at the broken tone Bella had. "Very few of us choose to live how my family does. Human blood is so much more tempting and satisfying than animal blood. It's like a college student living off of Ramen. It can sustain you, but it's not nearly as palatable as a gourmet meal."

"I can understand that," Bella leaned her head on Alice's shoulder. "But why would they drag something like that out?"

At this Alice sighed. "Some vampires feel that whatever they do is justified because they are at the top of the food chain. Others are simply sadistic. But you can ask the same question when it comes to certain humans, why do they have serial killers?"

Bella nodded, understanding but not condoning. She picked her head up, awkwardly realizing she was in the arms of a girl, a vampire girl no less, whom she had been utterly rude to until this point. She shifted uncomfortably, trying to put a bit of space between them without seeming like she wasn't okay with the position. In all honesty, she was more than okay with it. Alice's arms, while so similar to the ones that nearly killed her, were like home. They were safe and nothing could hurt her while she was in them.

Alice noticed Bella's shifting and begrudgingly released the girl and moved back to her side of the booth while giving a comforting smile. On cue, the food arrived; mushroom ravioli for Bella and a medium rare steak for Alice. Bella tore into her ravioli, surprised by how hungry she really was. Alice hid her smile politely behind her hand, but her mirth still shone through her eyes. When Bella finished her plate, Alice slid the empty plate in front of her and placed her steak for Bella to eat. Bella gave her a sheepish look.

"Why did you think I bothered to order?" was all Alice said. No further invitation was needed as the steak slowly disappeared as well.

"How'd you know I'd eat that much?" Bella questioned after Alice had stubbornly paid the bill and they exited the restaurant.

"I'm psychic," Alice stated playfully.

"I'm serious."

"So am I." Bella gave Alice an incredulous look. "I thought you'd have figured that out between what I said when I found you in the alley along with the fact that _I found you in that alley_," Alice giggled a bit.

Bella smile and rolled her eyes, "Well excuse me if I was a bit distracted by being stabbed."

"I do suppose that would be a little distraction," she smiled as she opened the passenger side door of her Porsche for Bella. "Perhaps you should learn to pay better attention though?" She was in the driver's seat before Bella had even closed her door.

"I'll get right on that."

"By the way, we still don't have a clue what you are, do we?" Alice asked pensively.

"The only thing I had after that night was a bite on my arm," she said, moving her hand to the upper part of her left arm. The bite was fading rapidly, but still easily visible.

"A bite?" Alice's tone was inquisitive. "May I see it?" Bella nodded her consent before removing her jacket. The area was raised in some parts and indented in others. While it wasn't severe, it definitely wasn't from a small animal. Alice traced the edges of the bite gently and Bella had to fight back a shiver at the sensation. "Would it be all right if you met with my family someday soon, I have a hunch on what it might be, but Carlisle may know more."

Her? Going into a house filled with vampires? Vegetarian vampires, but still vampires none the less. _Three_ had killed four of her friends easily and nearly did the same with her. How dangerous could _seven_ vampires be?

"And I'm sure Esme would be delighted to meet you," Alice added on.

"Esme?"

"Yes, she's Carlisle's mate and my sibling's and I's mother for all intents and purposes." Scratch that, _eight_ vampires.

Alice sensed her apprehension, "They would never hurt you, Bella."

"I know you won't, but-" she rubbed her arm uncomfortably.

"They wouldn't, but even if they did, they'd have to get through me first." Alice's eyes blazed with the genuineness of her statement.

Bella took a deep breath, "okay."

* * *

Bella's morning wasn't that great. To begin with, she had forgotten to turn off her alarm the night before and awoke to its sadistic screeching. As if that wasn't enough to make her realize that she had a headache, Charlie had attempted to cook and the whole house currently reeked of burned bacon. After taking care of her morning routine, Bella had promptly opened all of the windows and cooked an edible breakfast for her and Charlie.

"So, any plans for the day kiddo?" Bella had to fight to keep her brow from lifting, _kiddo_? Really?

"Just goin' down to La Push with a few people from school."

"That's good, I'm glad you've made some friends. I know it can be hard in such a small town where everyone has known each other for years." Bella didn't bother to correct him about the f word, while the group would serve to amuse her and distract of from her inner turmoil, they weren't her friends. They may believe they were, but they weren't. So far, Angela was the only one even coming close to earning that term.

"Yeah, I guess I got lucky," she spoke as she placed her dish in the sink.

"That's good. How long do you think you'll be there?"

"Well, I'll probably leave soon; I guess it's supposed to be an all-day thing."

"Okay, well I'll be at a fish fry at Billy's if you need anything."

"Thanks dad," she smiled at her father.

"Anytime. I'll take care of the dishes if you want to go ahead and leave." Bella nodded her thanks and gave a smile before grabbing her helmet and heading out the door. "And don't make me have to ward off any boys with my shotgun!" he yelled through the still open door.

Bella rolled her eyes good naturedly, "Sorry dad, no guarantees." With that, she let the door close and walked to the driveway. Her bike was there, it had been delivered sometime the night prior, and she had to bite back a grin at the piece of machinery. "Time for some fun," she spoke to no one in particular as she mounted and cranked the bike.

It had been a while since she had driven her motorcycle, but it was like, well, it was like riding a bike. She didn't feel different on it at all. While her life had been turned upside down and then landed sideways into a pool of gasoline that only needed a spark to combust, this was one of her constants. She could always bet on her bike and the freedom it brought her. The wind tearing at her body, the roar of the small engine, the way she leaned into turns.

What she couldn't count on was the Fork's roads. Even though it was one of those rare sunny days, the roads were still damp and it was significantly different from riding in Arizona, as she realized by nearly sliding around a turn.

She noted this and continued her journey. She was nearly to the beach when a smell assaulted her senses. It smelled as if she had just entered a poorly maintained animal shelter. The air was heavy with the smell of wet dog and something she couldn't place.

The beach she arrived at was beautiful. It was somewhat chilly, but the sun was out and the forecast predicted that it would be a fairly warm day or, at least, warm by Fork's standards. She dismounted her bike and put down the kick stand. The slight breeze ruffled her hair and the smell it carried made her scrunch her nose at the smell. It was even worse without the helmet on.

Ignoring the odor, she turned her sights to the ocean. It was fairly deserted; she could only see a few silhouettes in the distance. The waves lapped at the shore almost lazily. There was drift wood scattered around, probably from one of the many storms that haunted the area.

None of her 'friends' were there yet and she figured they might take a while. She found a rock overlooking the ocean and laid down on it. She would wait there for the group and let the salty breeze coming off of the water carry away the horrible smell that lingered in La Push.

**After this chapter I'm sure you guys could use some good news. Well, I have some really good ideas for this story. I almost have all of the major plot points laid out in my head (I'm one of those,_ I think I know where this is going... but let's just type it out_, kind of writers)**

**All of your reviews make me smile and they are greatly appreciated. Thank you to those who Review, Follow, and Favorite, or just read this story in general.**


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